question about work in china

[fire656]

EDIT: not so sure this is the optimal place for this question (since its language and work) but thanks.

So im going into my freshman year of college (in the US). My strengths are Computer Science, and Math. Which is what i want to major and minor in, respectively. My goal (in the long run) is to complete college in the US then go to China for a year or two after college and live there. My girlfriend, who is chinese, says that i could just go teach english if i lived there... but im not much of a teacher, that just doesnt sound like it would work out well, plus there are lots of english teachers there im sure.

Basically I was wondering what kind of job for a company/corperation/etc (for those of you who live in china) you think I could get. I mean, for the record, i have never had less than a 100 average in math (took calc in 12th grade, so i will take calc 2 in my freshman year of college). Education level isn't exactly my conscern. Its just what on earth could I do there, how much would i work in china (like in the US it's a 40hour work week), and how much would i get paid (and what could that money get me in respect to living conditions... decent american starting income = 45,000 $USD). Suggestions please!

Lastly (if i havn't asked enough), what is the best way for an american to learn chinese? I use Rosetta Stone now. It seems great with vocabulary, but not so hot in the actual conversation area. Like the first words you learn are girl, boy, dog, cat, car, plane.... nothing there helps a person say "hello".

(what is the word for "girl"? Rosetta stone has a super long phrase for the picture of a girl, but the problem is it doesnt give any translation, so i know that phrase but dont know if it says "the girl", "a girl", "girl"... you get the idea)

So yea any programs, etc you would recomment for learning chinese? My girlfriend speaks 2 dialects and english, but isnt a good teacher.

Well... i have said too much. Any help is much appreciated. Ill give any clerification if you need more specifics.

Thank you!!!!!

Edited October 1, 2008 at 09:56 PM by fire656

[davidj]

I think the only thing you would be able to get a work visa for, with your post-college CV, is teaching English. See other threads for typical salaries.

I've never used one of the computerised language teachers, but every paper text book, whether published in China, or the West, has the first chapter being the basic way of saying hello.

Girl could be many things, but most of them would be only two or three syllables. If you can cut and paste the Rosetta Stone text, you could try translating it with Babelfish, but be warned, Babelfish translations can be wildly wrong/hilarious.

If you can't find a class, my personal suggestion would be one of the academic text books published in China, plus Learn Chinese Now, on Radio China International's crienglish.com web site.

[chinesetools]

There's a field called computational linguistics that applies computational techniques to understanding human languages. If you want to combine your two interests it could be something to look into for the long term. I've had fun with it.

[fire656]

well to be honest me interest is not exactly the english language. though I am interested in the chinese language and culture in general. perhaps i could do the computer linguistic in china but idk. thanks, ill look into it more.

although my interest is not too much into the english language I will still look more into teaching english in china. this seems to be a very profitable field and one that i could do well in. would i still be accepted in this field even if i did not graduate (from a US college) with a degree in language or english? could i graduate in computer science or mathmatics and still teach english in china? I am fluent in english, as i am american (white)... and im told i have a good public speaking ability. Also i have tutored 2 of my chinese friends (who are almost finished college) in the english language. Such as i edited / read over my chinese friend's college paper (she lives in New Zealand).

[liuzhou]

ha ha!

[renzhe]

Get in contact with a multi-national company that does business with China and work there for a few years and have them transfer you to one of their locations in China.

It's probably either that or teach English, basically.

As for learning Chinese, the best thing is to get a teacher or some sort of course, at least in the beginning, to get the basics down. There's plenty of need for self-study later, and it will include everything from reading, listening, grammar books, in huge quantities. The best way to learn Chinese is to get a great textbook, lots of reading materials, computer-based flashcard programs and hundreds of hours of TV shows, and to put in several hours a day over a few years.

[cui ruide]

Take Chinese in a classroom environment in college, or if you can't there--do summer programs domestic or abroad. Study abroad in China, and in four years see what your major is, how you feel about China, if you're still with that chinese girl or not and what the job market/economy is like THEN. If things keep going like they are, the Chinese might start outsourcing manufacturing to the US instead of vice versa. Maybe an exaggeration, but I'd wait a couple of years before you start checking out the job market, at least till you've studied some of the language. Four years is a long time.

[ocrtech]

A good technical degree (Comp SCI or Math) along with some business courses in a well regarded US university will set you up nicely for a corporate consulting gig at most large companies like IBM, Accenture, AMS, etc. Most of these companies have branches overseas in Europe and Asia and many times there are opportunities to work in these countries making your US salary while being on a per diem. It’s not the only way but friends have said, it is a nice way to see the world while still making a pretty good salary.